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A
city is not, certain, only the monuments,
the buildings, the urban planning and the history.
Above all are the authors and
its residents with their social relations and
structures, with their problems and their
distresses, and if someone excludes the
sovereign orders, for which and
from which History has been written, the search
in life of simple persons, the ones who give blow
in the unit "city", it becomes also
fruitless labour. Even though the difficulties we
attempt a representation of social life
of Rethimno in the passage of rthe
centuries.
Rethimno until the 14th century was a
fishing settlement The capture of Konstantinoupolis
in1453
and the fall of Peloponisos in 1460 increased the
importance of Crete for Venice, while at the
same time poles residents of Continental Greece
immigrated for the search of better fate. In the
beginning of 16th century the Rethimno is found
in big growth while it is lived by 10000 persons,
that are also the bigger number of residents up to
1940. The power are practised by the Venetians and
by the Rethemnian noble. The Venetians are
influenced by the Greek way of life which they made
it their own. Other social layers were been the
bourgeoes, the tradesmen and artisans
and the population of which
belonged the seamen, the workers
and the farmers. The last ones kneel from the
imposition
of heavy
taxation. The workers
build opposite a
very little amount
the enormous fortifications of
the
city, while the
feudal lords live
in a atmosphere of excessive
luxury.
Little by little the urban class
take the
upper scale.
Their children watch monasterial schools
and continue in the faculty of Abbey of Saint
Ekaterini of
Handakas
or in University of
Padova. When they complete their
study they return in their
place and they shape the new social caste of intellectuals.
They are the persons that
will found and support
the Cretan Renaissance, a phenomenon that is observed
only in Crete and Eptanisa by all the
turkish dominated
Greece.
Literature is developed e and Georgios Hortatzis
wrote the amazing popular drama, "Erofili" that was worshipped
by the whole of Greece. The
same time
Marinos
Tzane Bounialis
writes the Cretan War, chronograph
given
poetically that brings in the light
very a lot of elements with
regard to the social life in the Rethimno in
the last years of Venetian
domination and
his
brother Emmanouil Tzane Bounialis,
is elected the more important representative
of Cretan
Faculty of Hagiography. On 4
January
1561,
is founded the Academy
the
Vivi,
first Greek
association intellectual afterwards the fall of
Byzantine Empire.
All this growth stopped in 1669 with the
occupation of Crete from the Tuks. Contrary
to before the
intellectual and artistic life shrinks also
the order of bourgeoes and tradesmen is downgraded,
while the
Turks incorporate no element of Cretan
culture apart from the Cretan language which they
learned they use adding several Turkish words and
idioms. The city of Rethymno
depopulates from residents of Christian
since many are islamized, either in order to avoid the taxation,
either because of the pressures and victimization.
One century after the Turkish
possession Rethimno was developed economically
but for a very little time interval because the
peace that prevailed in the Balkans and the treaty
of Belgrade 1739.
Although the
Cretan dint and
the adoration for place, language and
religion was not forgotten and the first Cretan
revolution became in 1770 while from 1821 and
afterwards the revolts succeeded the one the other.
In 1897 Crete acquired its autonomy and Rethimno is developed again.
Rethimno - Georgioupoli road is
manufactured, bridges
are
created, the
first dental
clinic is open,
also the first kindergarten
and the first photoshop.
The Cretan post
begins to function and
to make the first stamps
that are handmade. Also that
time with command of then
mayor the kiosks, which were built in the
Ottoman domination and they were set up in various
points of city, were demolished. Meanwhile because the presence of Russian
soldiers prostitution was developed. The big
economic growth, however, involves also the
blossoming of intellectual life of letters and arts.
Turks and Christian emulate who will have more
educated children, while a pile of newspapers was
created between them the "Cretan Inspection"
that functions from 1912 up to today with certain
intervals of interruption.
Rethimno gives birth once again important
persons of spirit, as the writer and journalist
ringleader of feminist movement Kaliroi Parren-Siganou, that comes from
Platania of
province Amari, Pavlos Vlastos that was given
birth in the Vyzari, also village of province Amari and naturally
the great Pantelis Prevelakis that to
us he bequeathed inter alia and the brilliant work of
"time of a state". The economic and
intellectual blossoming takes end in the 1907, when
withdraw from Crete the troops of Big Forces. With the end of
second world war and the civil war the
decade of the 50s and the 60s it is developed for a little
time the trade of Rethymno. However in the end of the 60s economy passes recession, while
the harbour of city languishes since the harbours of Souda and Heraklion
are developed .
In
Rethimno then everyone turned in tourism and
the claim of University
of Crete.
From the decade of the 70s until today the industry of
tourism has been developed, bringing enough
profits in the Rethemnians and giving a new blow
in the economy of city. Also in our days many departments
of the University of Crete funcion in Rethymno occasion in the city to recover and
to develop its intellectual movement. Finally the
University students gave a new blow to the city and
they have helped in its development and its growth
the past few years. Finally the musicstudies
department of the T.E.I. of Crete functions in
Rethymno.
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